UPS Backup for TWC Phone

UPS Backup for TWC Phone

I just got TWC Home Phone installed yesterday. The Ubee modem does not have a battery installed. Some of the posters here suggested a Belkin RG backup as an alternative, but when I looked online at that item, it says it is only for AT&T U-Verse system and will not work with any other system. Is there a battery backup system, like the Belkin, that plugs into the wall and then I can plug the Ubee modem into that? I have a corded phone connected now to the Ubee modem.

Re: UPS Backup for TWC Phone

Current Phone Customers:Backup Batteries DO NOT have to be offered to current Phone customers at this time.Time Warner Cable will reach out to current phone customers later this year via mail.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated effective 02/16/2016 that Time Warner Cable must offer all new phone customers the option to purchase a backup battery for their phone modem. The backup battery will provide 8 hours (approximately) of standby power and comes with a cost of $35.00.

The rules also require TWC to inform new phone customers about service limitations during power outages and the steps they can take to address the limitations. To comply with this mandate, TWC will:

Inform new phone customers about service limitations during power outages and provide the option to purchase a battery at a cost of $35.

Send an annual notice to all phone customers informing them of service limitations during power outages and the battery backup option.

Note: it is NOT necessary to notify current customers that they can purchase a battery as it will be handled using other customer communications.

TWC will onlyship backup batteries using Easy Connect and there will be noshipping charges. Batteries will not be provided to technicians, retail centers or stored in warehouses.

Customers in Mountain West markets, where Easy Connect is not yet available, will only have the option to pick up a battery at a retail center. Professional install will not be offered.

Easy Connect battery shipments will be allowed for Time Warner Cable IntelligentHome and SignatureHome® customers.

These are Easy Connect Mail out orders and time frames are BAU (business as usual) for order fulfillment and for delivery.

Current Phone Customers:Backup Batteries DO NOT have to be offered to current Phone customers at this time.Time Warner Cable will reach out to current phone customers later this year via mail. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated effective 02/16/2016 that Time Warner Cable must offer all new phone customers the option to purchase a backup battery for their phone modem. The backup battery will provide 8 hours (approximately) of standby power and comes with a cost of $35.00. The rules also require TWC to inform new phone customers about service limitations during power outages and the steps they can take to address the limitations. To comply with this mandate, TWC will:Inform new phone customers about service limitations during power outages and provide the option to purchase a battery at a cost of $35.Send an annual notice to all phone customers informing them of service limitations during power outages and the battery backup option.Note: it is NOT necessary to notify current customers that they can purchase a battery as it will be handled using other customer communications. TWC will only ship backup batteries using Easy Connect and there will be no shipping charges. Batteries will not be provided to technicians, retail centers or stored in warehouses. Customers in Mountain West markets, where Easy Connect is not yet available, will only have the option to pick up a battery at a retail center. Professional install will not be offered.Easy Connect battery shipments will be allowed for Time Warner Cable IntelligentHome and SignatureHome® customers.These are Easy Connect Mail out orders and time frames are BAU (business as usual) for order fulfillment and for delivery.

Previously the FCC said providers were to cease sending out batteries because the batteries were unreliable. Now they require us offering them (optional) upon new phone sales. It's government. The can completely change their mind and the answer is "yes sir" when they mandate something.

My personal 2 cents is that I'd recommend a UPS/BatteryBackup of some reputable model # as that will power more than the modem, protect against surges, and also (on many models) possible do some voltage filtration too. I've always used a battery backup for my PC equipment, and my modem & router that I have are also running off of that same battery backup. But yes, we can provide you batteries (via UPS/FedEx, basically).

Makes & models I've seen batteries ordered for:

Arris TG1672G

Arris TG862G

Arris TG852G

Technicolor TC8717T

Ubee DVW3201B

Ubee DVW32CB

My postings on this site are my own, off-the-clock, and don’t necessarily represent TWC’s/Charter's strategies or opinions.

Re: UPS Backup for TWC Phone

Thanks, Agentx5, for this information. I looked at some UPS/battery backups yesterday, and for alot of money, they provide only 65 minutes of power; for much more money, they provide maybe 4 hours of power. From what I have seen on the TWC forums, the backup battery that TWC is, apparently, supposed to offer for the Ubee modem will provide ~8 hours of backup. So, I don't think I want to pay $100+ for 4 hours of backup, instead of 8 hours of backup for free. No sarcasm intended here. I really appreciate finding out that TWC will offer the battery, and I will go back to the TWC kiosk today and try to obtain the battery. Have a great day!

Re: UPS Backup for TWC Phone

Hi, JuliaR! Yes, I found out that I wrongly assumed the battery is free! Silly me! The FCC requires TWC to offer to sell the battery to the customer. It's still the best option, over a UPS device. Thanks!

Re: UPS Backup for TWC Phone

I have found that if the power is out in my neighborhood that TWC's amplifiers will be out also, so the battery really doesn't have a purpose. TWC recently installed a UPS cabinet in my neighborhood but there hasn't been a situation yet where had a power outage where I reached for the VOIP phone instead of a cell phone.

Suggestion: at least one other provider has a "network unavailable" setting on their phone customization screen so that any time the VOIP modem is unreachable (power outage, network outage, etc.) the call will get auto-forwarded to another number of my choice.

Re: UPS Backup for TWC Phone

I don't know where the FCC is claiming this or that about modem batteries for phone since many neighborhoods don't have the outside lines battery backed up like mine. If the hardline amps loose power and I still have power, cable tv and phone go dead.